Four proposals for a better York downtown

Friday

Nov 23, 2012 at 2:00 AM

YORK, Maine — The York Village Study Committee has presented the Board of Selectmen with a list of recommendations to improve York's downtown, including burying utility lines, adding parking, and improving traffic flow and sidewalks.

Susan Morse

YORK, Maine — The York Village Study Committee has presented the Board of Selectmen with a list of recommendations to improve York's downtown, including burying utility lines, adding parking, and improving traffic flow and sidewalks.

However, the biggest change could involve the Civil War monument park in the center of town.

Committee Chairman Ron McAllister on Monday presented selectmen with four scenarios for the monument space. In all options, the statue remains where it is while the green area gets larger or becomes a roundabout for traffic.

Selectmen took no action on the committee's recommendations. The next step will be for the board to hold a public work session with the York Village Study Committee, possibly as early as January.

There are no funds in the next budget year of 2014 for improvements in York Village, according to Town Manager Rob Yandow. Based on whatever action is taken by selectmen, village improvements could become part of the 2015 capital plan, he said.

McAllister said Wednesday the committee did not explore cost in its proposals, but members expect state, federal and private money to be available to support downtown initiatives.

"We do believe there is money out there so it is not entirely funded by the town," McAllister said.

Committee member Stu Dawson, a landscape design expert, drew and presented four recommendations for traffic changes around the Civil War monument at the intersection of York Street and Long Sands Road. These and other recommendations are available online at www.yorkmaine.org.

The first is the Minimum Change Option," which leaves the traffic pattern and parking as is, with minor road striping and cosmetic improvements.

The second is called the "York Delta Option" and involves enlarging the monument park, replacing perpendicular parking with parallel parking and eliminating the southeast travel lane onto York Street.

The third, the "Town Common Option," substantially enlarges the monument park by eliminating all parking and the road behind the monument. This would create a grand town common for events or outdoor cafes, according to the committee's report.

The fourth option is a recommendation for a roundabout, a 100-foot traffic circle.

The committee has been meeting since July 2011, after selectmen appointed the nine members to study and make recommendations on the future of York Village, in the same way a York Beach subcommittee made recommendations for Short Sands Beach prior to recent improvements. The committee includes the town manager and town planner, downtown business owners, residents, representatives from York Hospital and the Museums of Old York, and members of the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen.

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